Brief Overall Description of the Dataset: The Urban Tree Canopy Analysis of Virginia Localities dataset consists of satellite imagery of foliage coverage across select participating counties in Virginia. Including Arlington Co. but not James City County. Each report for each county has the tree coverage for the county level, some at property parcel level and some at zoning level. This data is typically used to help local government and urban planners best plan an environmental conscious urban area.
Link:
http://gep.frec.vt.edu/UTC/Arlington%20UTC%20UPDATE%20report-12212009.pdf
Date Inventory Completed: 06/03/2015
Screening
- Is the data collected opinion-based (e.g., people’s attitudes, preferences, etc.)?
- Is the data collection recurring (must be collected at least annually)?
- Is there data available for 2013?
- For Housing: Is the data collected at the property or housing unit level?
- Can we access the data by August 15th?
Purpose
What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?
To inform policy-makers and urban planners what the condition of the natural environment is.
Why is it collected and how does the organization use it?
This data is used to control the tree population and help inform where trees may need to be planted to better the environment.
Who else uses the data?
Policy-makers, urban planners
Who do they sell the data to?
Policy-makers, urban planners
Method
What is the data collection method?
Through satellite imagery
What is the type of data collected?
Intentional observation
If designed, who created the questions?
What is the raw source of the collected data (prior to any aggregation)?
Birdseye images of trees
Description
What is the general topic of the data (1-2 words)?
Foliage coverage
What are the earliest and latest dates for which data is available?
2008
Timeliness
Is data collected and available periodically?
No
How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided?
Selectivity
What is the universe that the data represents?
Select counties who participated in Virginia
Accessibility
How is the data accessed
API for apps is available, raw data is also available for purchase
Is it open data?
Yes
Any legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source?
No
Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?
No
Does this dataset appear to meet our needs for the Census study? NO
Explanation: While this dataset may be useful for the individual localities, it is not updated frequently enough or in the range of years needed to be helpful for this study.